casey Posted June 6, 2020 Share Posted June 6, 2020 New Zealand's military said Friday it will buy five Super Hercules transport planes from Lockheed Martin for $1 billion. The planes will replace the military's existing fleet of Hercules, all of which are more than 50 years old and have been involved in a series of embarrassing breakdowns over recent years. Defense Minister Ron Mark said the new planes will be used for operations in New Zealand, the South Pacific and Antarctica. “Generations of New Zealanders have grown up and grown old with the Hercules, and they know these aircraft are an essential first line of response," Mark said in a statement. Three of the nation's current C-130 Hercules planes date back to 1965 and the other two to 1969. They have been upgraded over the years, but frequent breakdowns have hampered some high-profile missions. At one point last year, the entire fleet was temporarily grounded. New Zealand will take delivery of the first of the new C-130J-30 aircraft in 2024 with the full fleet operating by 2025. The price tag of 1.5 billion New Zealand dollars ($1 billion) includes a flight simulator and supporting infrastructure. View original article at thehour.com View full article Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spectre623 Posted June 13, 2020 Share Posted June 13, 2020 Once you have a taste of the old C-130...nothing else will satisfy. Proven time and time again! Bill 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.